AB SCIEX technology solution implemented for anti-doping enforcement at the 2010 Winter Games

While millions of viewers around the world are watching breathtaking ski jumps, razor-sharp skating moves and other awe-inspiring athletic feats in Vancouver over the next few weeks, the official doping control laboratory of the 2010 Winter Games will be casting an equally intent eye on the athletes who are competing. The INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, a component of Canada’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique, is implementing the most stringent anti-doping testing in history through the creation of an $8.9-million testing facility. Testing for stimulants, masking agents, glucocorticosteroids and insulin will be run on a mass spectrometry solution provided by AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies.

“We have raised the standard for anti-doping testing. By selecting AB SCIEX technology, we are able to consolidate our testing procedures, significantly reduce the preparation steps and increase the sensitivity and specificity of our detection techniques.”

Officials are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for performance-enhancing drugs. A critical part of the enforcement is the use of more sensitive technology to ensure the most accurate results that identify cheating. The INRS laboratory, which is Canada’s only World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory, selected AB SCIEX technology, which is among the most advanced in the world for identifying the variety of prohibited substances or their markers.

Highlights

• The AB SCIEX technology solution deployed by INRS is a mass spectrometry solution based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), which enables comprehensive detection and identification of substances with high specificity and sensitivity.
• The specific solution is comprised of four 4000 QTRAP^® Systems. The QTRAP system is a mass spectrometer that provides the unique ability to screen, quantitate and confirm molecules in a single analysis. The software that is used is Analyst Software, which manages the system and performs the data processing.
• The solution utilizes a direct injection method, which is a process by which a scientist directly injects a diluted sample into an instrument, eliminating the need to clean up, concentrate or chemically modify the sample prior to analysis. This simplifies the preparation of the samples submitted to testing, speeds up the process and reduces risks of contamination or loss of compounds.

Quotes

Christiane Ayotte, Ph.D., director of the doping control laboratory at the 2010 Winter Games

“We have raised the standard for anti-doping testing. By selecting AB SCIEX technology, we are able to consolidate our testing procedures, significantly reduce the preparation steps and increase the sensitivity and specificity of our detection techniques.”

Laura Lauman, president of AB SCIEX

“Protecting the integrity of athletic competition continues to be a significant issue for international governing organizations. AB SCIEX technology is assisting in the enforcement of a zero-tolerance, anti-doping policy designed to maintain a level playing field during the Winter Games. This is a great example of how mass spectrometry is increasingly being used to address a variety of scientific challenges beyond the research lab.”